Choquequirao, The Other Machu Picchu

Choquequirao is a rarely-visited Incan site, accessible only on foot some 3,085m up in the Salkantay Mountain Range. A ‘lost city of the Incas’ and ‘sister’ city to Machu Picchu, Choquequirao was ignored completely by the chroniclers of the age, because – as independent archaeologist Gary Ziegler said to the New York Times earlier this year- “the Spanish never found it.”

Trekking to Choquequirao

At Aracari we offer a five day trek through the Choquequirao area. This is a tough trek hiking down into the canyon of the Apurimac river and up again. Here you reach the Inca ruins of Choquequirao, as extensive as Machu Picchu, but one that only recently has become known. It is a tough, off the beaten path destination. An average of 6 hours trek per day with one day rest to visit the site. See the trek itinerary.

ABOUT CHOQUEQUIRAO

Meaning ¨Cradle of Gold¨ in Quechua, Choquequirao is believed to be where the last Inca rulers fled following the loss of the city of Cusco to the Spanish during the conquest. Read more about the history and discovery of Choquequirao.

The ruins were first visited and described to the western world by a French explorer during the 18th century. Hiram Bingham also visited the site in 1910, prior to his rediscovery of Machu Picchu in 1911.

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